You get back what you put in

Allan Douglas has contributed more than a decade of volunteering service to Cora Lynn. 233304 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

By David Nagel

It’s hard to imagine – but you get the feeling that Allan Douglas has taken just as much out of his time at the Cora Lynn Netball Club as the extraordinary amount of effort he has put in.

Douglas has been a familiar figure at Cora Lynn for a decade after being introduced to the club when his daughter Bianca signed up to play with the Cobras in her early teenage years.

He was immediately lured in to the role of vice-president, and has since served as president for every season bar one.

His 2021 commitments include president of netball, vice-president of football, coach of A and C Grade netball, and he sits on the Cora Lynn Recreation Reserve Committee as the football and netball representative.

Douglas said there are very simple reasons why he commits so much time and effort, behind the scenes, at Cora Lynn.

“I do it because of the sense of community really and I was told long ago that when you become able to give time, you should, because if nobody gives time to anything we have nothing,” he said.

“Every club struggles for volunteers, there’s not many of us around, but every club has got people that dedicate time and effort otherwise nothing would work.

“If you take the volunteers away from a club everything would just stop.

“I love both games – football and netball – and I love Cora Lynn and I love the people around the club and from other clubs that we play against. You can go to any club and build relationships with people and have conversations and that’s a pretty special part of what we do.”

Looking around Cora Lynn now, it’s hard to imagine the state of the netball club facilities from a decade ago.

“Our courts were condemned, our club rooms were condemned, the toilets were disgraceful and the lighting was pathetic – the girls couldn’t even see at training,” Douglas explained.

“We rebuilt the whole facility in about 18 months, from the court surfacing, the fencing, the lighting, the clubrooms – it was a lot of hard work but it’s still satisfying today when you look at what we have, and what we have achieved.

“We were one of the first clubs to get that upgrade and the work we did behind the scenes with local councils helped funding for other clubs as well.”

Douglas said there were many other benefits associated with being a volunteer.

“My work is pretty intense, dealing with negative stuff all the time, and this a positive thing that I get to add to my life,” he said.

“And it’s a distraction from other things that have happened and I hope to be able to do it for a few more years to come.

“It’s hugely satisfying, you go home and you feel like you’ve accomplished something and you feel good because you’re helping others.

“If you’re thinking about being a volunteer, just ring up your club because they will be so happy to hear from you.”

Douglas said winning premierships and playing in finals were highlights of his time at the club, as well as being a part of league medal presentations at finals series over the last few years.

And being assistant-coach to Garfield’s Donna Marsh for the 2019 WGFNC netball interleague campaign was another experience he will cherish.

“That was an amazing experience, the girls were fantastic and it was great to win our game and then progress to the association championships,” he said.

“That’s another example of getting involved in something and getting so much more back than you originally thought you would.”

Allan Douglas is a volunteer who gets just as much back as he puts in.